Initiative
and Referendum StudyResource PacketPreparing
for consensus discussion and decision

At the LWVAL Convention in Tuscaloosa on May 20, 2007, state League
delegates voted to continue the Study of the Alabama
Legislature into
Phase II. This portion of the study addresses,"the appropriateness of various
forms of Initiative
and Referendum as possible additions to the legislative process."

In Spring,
2008, local Leagues will hold meetings to discuss the issue of
I&R. It is through this grassroots member discussion that the
state consensus opinion is reached. All members are strongly encouraged
to participate in this most fundamental League process. A
complete statement of the LWVAL consensus
policy can be found on the LWVAL website at:http://www.lwval.org/leagdemoc/LWVALCoreDocs/General/LWVAL%20Policies.pdf
(pages 5 and 6).

To
prepare for the consensus meetings, please read and consider the
following resource materials.

Politics
in the States and the Initiative Process
-- The
current
status of Initiative and Referendum in the states. Drawn from Chapter
5, “The Initiative Process,” by Shaun Bowler and Todd
Donovan, in Politics and the American States: A Comparative Analysi. edited by Virginia Gray and Russell L. Hanson. (pdf,
doc)